Claws
by Glowbug24
Summary: Luke is alone, and very much in need of advice… even from a cat. (Set the night before "The Golden Court" in PL vs. AA.)


The bed in the bakery attic is stuffed with straw. It'd probably be all right for sleeping, but for crying into it's rubbish. Every stray straw pokes at my face. The pillow's over by the door somewhere. I threw it. It's not what a gentleman would do, but I can't make myself care.

The professor is _gone_. He turned into gold, and I don't know how that can be, but how can I ignore what was right in front of my eyes? The town guard carried him off like he was just a lump of metal… and now I'll never see him again…

Someone mews at the door. I drag myself out of bed and open it a crack.

"Mrrup?" says Eve the cat. She nudges the door open further with her nose and pads into the room. I flop on the bed again.

 _Why sad, funny kitten?_

I sniffle. "Because—my professor, my friend—he's dead… a-and one of our new friends might have m-murdered him…"

A rough tongue licks my cheek. _You need bath. Always crying kittens need baths. You scratch not-friend hard?_

"N-no… Humans aren't very good at scratching…" I wiggle my fingers for her to see.

 _Hmph. Short claws._ Eve nudges me until I sit up. _How fight?!_ She turns up her nose.

I hiccup, and almost giggle. "My sister knows how. She doesn't need claws. But she… she's really far away." Cor, do I ever wish Emmy were here. She'd know what to do. Or maybe she wouldn't, but at least we'd be facing it together. Nobody, _nobody_ would get away with hurting the professor if both of us were on the case.

Mr. Wright told me he's going to defend Miss Maya tomorrow, but what if he can't figure out who did it? What if it _was_ Miss Maya after all? She was so much fun to investigate with, just yesterday… More tears roll down my cheeks. I bury my face in the poky straw mattress again so no one can hear me sobbing.

Eve snuggles up against my side. _I stay._

"Thanks," I mumble, stroking her fur. She purrs so loudly the vibrations go all through my chest. Breathing gets easier. My eyes hurt.

 _Between ears good._

I sniff, giggle, and oblige.

* * *

I guess I fall asleep eventually, cuz the next thing I know my candle's burnt out and gray dawn's creeping into the room. The professor's briefcase is still against the wall, right where he left it. He didn't have time to get his proper trunk, before we ended up here…

 _Mouse, funny kitten?_

Eve's head appears in the doorway, prey in teeth. I shudder, feeling really glad Toppy didn't come to London with me. "N-no thanks. Human kittens don't eat mice and… I'm not really that hungry. You go ahead."

She flips an ear and vanishes. Then she's back, with no mouse. _I save. Big mouse. You funny kitten. Talk like kitten, cry like kitten, think like person._

"I'm not crying!"

Eve gives me a _look_. On a person, it'd be more like a glare. _All kittens cry. Tall hat man, you_ his _kitten. Of course you cry. Now: learn scratch hard._ She makes a huffing noise, kind of like a sigh. _Sad-friend-girl_ —a fuzzy thought-picture of Espella flicks through my head— _she_ my _kitten_. _But she never learn scratch hard. Now she in trouble with no claws._

I dump the pitcher beside my bed into a big china bowl and splash water on my face. My sweater's all wrinkly from sleeping in it. "Is that why you ran off the other night? To look for Espella?"

Eve says simply, _My kitten._

And I know what I have to do.

I couldn't save the professor. But I can do something. I'm a witness, right? I was right there with the first people on the scene.

No one else was even in the room when he… except for Miss Maya.

I slide down the banister. (Only because the stairs creak! Honest!) The bakery's empty; no sign of Mr. Wright or Aunt Patty anywhere. Eve bounds down the stairs to join me. _You scratch today?_

I nod.

 _Good. Milk first._ She sniffs at a bowl in the corner. I find an icebox—cor, the milk's in those old-fashioned glass bottles!—and pour some out for her. I stick an apple in my pocket too. I don't think I'll ever want to eat again, but a gentleman has to keep his strength up, probably.

I ease open the back door. I've got to find Inquisitor Barnham, I guess. I hope nobody stops me on the way to the court. "If I see Espella," I say to Eve, "I'll tell her you miss her."

 _Tell her come home._ Eve looks at me with big, sad golden eyes.

Nope, nope, I am _not_ going to cry again. I'm not really sure I can get Espella home, not with the whole town thinking she's a witch, but I say, "I'll try."

 _Good. Scratch hard, jump high, funny kitten._

I'm not sure, but I think she might be wishing me luck.


End file.
